and fields of corn, and shall not the heirs of heaven take more delight in contemplating their glory in reversion? Could we send forth faith as a spy, and every day view the glory of the Jerusalem above, how would it rejoice us, as it doth the heir to think of the inheritance which is to come into his hand shortly? Why should the saints fear their preferment? Is it not a blessed thing to see God, to love God, and to lie for ever in the bosom of divine love? Is it not a blessed thing to meet our godly relations in heaven? Why should the saints be afraid of their blessings? Is a virgin afraid to be matched unto the crown? Now is but the contract-at death is the mar- Use 3d. Consolation. This is that which riage supper of the Lamb, Rev. xix. 9. What may comfort the saints in two cases.-1. hurt doth death, but take us from among fiery Under their wants; they abound only in serpents, and place us among angels? What wants, the meal is almost spent in the barhurt doth it do, but to clothe us with a robe rel,-but be patient till death, and you shall of immortality? Hath he any wrong done have a supply of all your wants, you shall him that hath his sackcloth pulled off, and have a kingdom, and be as rich as heaven hath cloth of gold put upon him? Fear not can make you. He who hath the promise dying, ye who cannot live but by dying! of an estate, after the expiring of a few Use 2d. You who are real saints, whose years, though at present he hath nothing to hearts are purified by faith, spend much time help himself, yet comforts himself with this, in musing upon these glorious benefits which that shortly he shall have an estate come you shall have by Christ at death. Thus into his hand, 1 John iii. 2, "It doth not yet might you by a contemplative life, begin the appear what we shall be." We shall be enlife of angels here, and be in heaven before amelled with glory, and be as rich as the your time. Eudoxius was so affected with angels. 2. A true saint is, (as Luther) hæres the glory of the sun, that he thought he was crucis; but this may make us go cheerfully born only to behold it. What should we con- through our sufferings; there are great things template but celestial glory, when we shall laid up in store,—there is glory coming, which see God face to face; David was got above eye hath not seen,-we shall drink of the the ordinary sort of men, he was in the alti-fruit of the vine in the kingdom of heaven. tudes, Ps. cxxxix. 18, "I am still with thee." A true saint every day takes a turn in heaven; his thoughts and desires are like cherubims flying up to paradise. Can men of the world so delight in looking upon their bags of gold, Though now we drink in a wormwood-cup, yet here is sugar to sweeten it: we shall taste of those joys of paradise which exceed our faith, and may be better felt than they can be expressed. OF THE RESURRECTION. JOHN V. 28, 29. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. QUEST. XXXVIII. What benefits shall to glory. The doctrine of the resurrection is A. 2. They shall be openly acquitted at for ever. 26, "Though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh, shall I see God." Not in another flesh, but my flesh, 1 Cor. xv. 53, "This corruptible must put on incorruption." QUEST. By what arguments may the resurrection be proved? Argument 1. By scripture, John vi. 44, “I will raise him up at the last day." Isa. xxv. 8, "He will swallow up death in victory." That is, by delivering our bodies from the captivity of the grave wherein death for a time had power over them, 1 Thess. iv. 14, "Them which sleep in Jesus, will God bring with him." Arg. 2. Christ is risen: therefore the bodies of the saints must rise. Christ did not rise from the dead as a private person, but as the public head of the church; and the head being raised, the rest of the body shall not always lie in the grave. Christ's rising is a pledge of our resurrection, 2 Cor. iv. 14, "Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus, shall raise us up also by Jesus." Christ is called the first-fruits of them that sleep, 1 Cor. xv. 20. As the first fruits is a sure evidence that the harvest is coming on, so the resurrection of Christ is a sure evidence of the rising of our bodies out of the grave. Christ cannot be perfect as he is Christ mystical, unless his members be raised with him. Arg. 3. In respect of God's justice. If God be a just God, then he will reward the bodies of the saints as well their souls. It cannot be imagined that the souls of believers should be glorified, and not their bodies; they have served God with their bodies, their bodies have been members of holiness, their eyes have dropped tears for sin,—their hands have relieved the poor,-their tongues have set forth God's praise; therefore justice and equity require that their bodies should be crowned as well as their souls and how can that be, unless they are raised from the dead? Arg. 4. If the body did not rise again, then a believer should not be completely happy: for though the soul can subsist without the body, yet it hath appetium unionis,—a desire of re-union with the body, and it is not fully happy till it be clothed with the body: therefore undoubtedly the body shall rise again. If the soul should go to heaven, and not the body, then a believer should be only half-saved. Obj. 1. But some say, as the Virgin Mary to the angel, "How can this be?" so, how can it be, that the body which is consumed to ashes should rise again? ANs. It doth not oppose reason, but transcend it; there are some resemblances of the resurrection in nature. The corn, which is sown in the ground, dies before it springs up, 1 Cor. xv. 36, "That which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die.” In winter the fruits of the earth die, in spring there is a resurrection of them; Noah's olive tree springing after the flood was a lively emblem of the resurrection. After the passion of our Lord, "many bodies of the saints which slept in the grave arose,” Matt. xxvii. 52. God can more easily raise the body out of the grave, than we can awake a man out of sleep. Obj. 2. But when the dust of many are mingled together; how is it possible that a separation should be made and the same numerical body arise. ANS. If we believe God can create, then he can distinguish the dust of one body from another; do not we see the chymist can, out of several metals mingled together, as gold, silver, alchymy, extract the one from the other, the silver from the gold,—the alchymy from silver,—and can reduce every metal to its own kind? And shall we not much more believe, that when our bodies are mingled and confounded with other substances, the wise God is able to make an extraction, and re-invest every soul with its own body? QUEST. 3. Shall none but the bodies of the righteous be raised? ANS. Yes, all that are in the graves shall hear Christ's voice, and shall come forth, Acts xxiv. 15. There shall be a resurrection of the dead both of the just and unjust: Rev. xx. 12, "I saw the dead, both small and great, stand before God." But though all shall be raised out of their graves, yet all shall not be raised alike. 1. The bodies of the wicked shall be raised with ignominy; those bodies which on the earth did tempt and allure others with their beauty, shall be at the resurrec tion loathsome to behold; they shall be ghast ly spectacles, as the phrase is, Isa. lxvi. 24, "They shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." But the bodies of the saints shall be raised with honour, 1 Cor. xv. 43, "It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory." The saints' bodies then shall shine as sparkling diamonds, Matt. xiii. 43, "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun." 2. The bodies of the saints shall arise out of their graves with triumph; the bodies of the wicked shall come out of the grave with trembling, as being to receive their fatal doom, but the godly, when they awake out of the dust shall sing for joy, Isa. xxvi. 19, “Awake and sing, ye that dwell in the dust." When the archangel's trumpet sounds, then the saints shall sing; the bodies of believers shall come out of the grave to be made happy, as the chief butler came out of the prison, and was restored to all his dignity at the court; but the bodies of the wicked shall come out of the grave, as the chief baker out of prison, to be executed, Gen. xl. 22. thou shalt reign with me; thou wert sown in dishonour, but now art raised in glory. O my dear body! I will enter into thee again, and be eternally married to thee. Use 3d. The resurrection of the body is a cordial when a Christian lies a-dying. Thy body, though it drop into the sepulchre, it shall revive and flourish as an herb in the resurrection: the grave is a bed of dust where the bodies of saints sleep; but they shall be awakened by the trump of the archangel. The grave is your long home, but not your last home: though death strip you of your beauty, yet at the resurrection you shall have it restored again. As David, when he found Saul asleep, took away his spear and cruse of water, but when he awoke, he restored them again, 1 Sam. xxvi. 22, so, though at death all our strength and beauty be taken away, yet at the resurrection God will restore all again in a more glorious manner. QUEST. 4. But how shall we know that our bodies shall be raised to a glorious re Use 1st. Believe this doctrine of the resur-surrection? rection; and that the same body that dies ANS. If we have a part in the first resurshall rise again, and with the soul be crown-rection, Rev. xx. 6, "Blessed and holy is he ed. Without the belief of this, tota corruit that hath a part in the first resurrection." religio, 'all religion falls to the ground,' Q. What is meant by this? A. It is a ris1 Cor. xv. 14, If the dead rise not, then Christing by repentance out of the grave of sin; he is not risen, and then our faith is vain. Use 2d. Comfort. The body shall rise again? this was Job's comfort, Job xix. 26, "Though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." The body is sensible of joy as well as the soul; and indeed we shall not be in all our glory, till our bodies are re-united to our souls. O consider what joy there will be at the re-uniting of the body and the soul at the resurrection! Look what sweet embraces of joy were between old Jacob and Joseph, when they first saw one another, Gen. xlvi. 29, such, and infinitely more, will there be, when the body and soul of a saint shall meet together at the resurrection! How will the body and soul greet one another! What a welcome will the soul give to the body! O blessed body! when I prayed, thou didst attend my prayers with hands lifted up, and knees bowed down; thou wert willing to suffer with me, and now who lies buried in sin, can have little hope of a joyful resurrection; his body shall be raised but not in glory. O then! ask conscience, have you a part in the first resurrection? hath the Spirit entered into you, and lifted you up? Hath he raised you out of your unbelief? above the earth? This is the first resurrection; and if your souls are thus spiritually raised, then your bodies shall be gloriously raised, and shall shine as stars in the kingdom of heaven. Regeneration makes way for a glorious resurrection. Hath he raised your hearts Use. Seeing you expect your bodies should arise to glory, keep your bodies unspotted from sin. Shall a drunken body rise to glory? Shall an unclean body rise to glory? Shall a thievish body steal into heaven? O keep your bodies pure,-keep your eyes from unchaste glances,-your hands from bribes,— your tongues from slander; defile not your bodies, which you hope shall rise one day to glory. Your bodies are the members of Christ and hear what the apostle saith, 1 Cor. vi. 15, "Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot ? God forbid." O keep your bodies unspotted, let them be instruments of righteousness, 1 Cor. vi. 20, "Glorify God in your body!" If your bodies glorify God, God will glorify your bodies. QUEST. 5. But seeing our bodies must be laid in the grave, and they may lie many years rotting there before the resurrection; what may support and comfort us in this case? ANS. 1. That God will not leave his people in the grave. Our friends bring us to the grave and leave us there, but God will not; God will go to the grave with us, and watch over our dead bodies, and take care of our ashes. Rizpah watched over the dead bodies of the sons of Saul, and guarded them against the ravenous fowls of the air, 2 Sam. xxi. 10. Thus the Lord watcheth over the dead bodies of the saints, and looks to it, that none of their dust be missing. Christian, thou hast a God to watch over thy body when thou art dead! A. 2. The bodies of the saints in the grave, though separated from their souls, are united to Christ. The dust of a believer is part of Christ's mystical body. A. 3. When the bodies of the saints are in the sepulchre, their souls are in paradise; the soul doth not sleep in the body, "but the spirit shall return to God that gave it," Eccl. xii. 7. The soul immediately partakes of those joys the blessed angels do; when the body returns to dust, the soul returns to rest; when the body is sleeping, the soul is triumphing; when the body is buried, the soul is crowned; as the spies were sent before to taste of the fruits of the land, Numb. xiii., so at death the soul is sent before into heaven, to taste of the fruit of the holy land. into the grave, and will surely bring us again. A. 5. Though the bodies of the saints shall rot and be loathsome in the grave, yet afterwards they shall be made illustrious and glorious. Concerning this, consider, is 1. The bodies of the saints, when they arise, shall be comely and beautiful. The body of a saint in this life may be deformed: those whose minds are adorned with virtue, yet may have mis-shapen bodies; as the finest cloth may have the coarsest list: but this deformed body shall be amiable and beautiful. This beauty consists in two things: 1. Perfection of parts. There shall be a full proportion of all the members; in this life there is oft a defect of members; the eye lost, the arm is cut off, but in the resurrection all parts of the body shall be restored again; therefore the resurrection is called the time of restoring all things, Acts iii. 19. Malchus' ear cut, restituit.-2. Clarity and splendour. The bodies of the saints shall have a graceful majesty in them; they shall be like Stephen whose face shone as if it had been the face of an angel, Acts vi. 15. Nay, they shall be made like Christ's glorious body, Phil. iii. 21. 2. The bodies of the saints, when they arise, shall be free from the necessities of nature, as hunger and thirst, Rev. vii. 16, "They shall hunger no more." Moses on the mount was so filled with the glory of God, that he needed not the recruits of nature. Much more in heaven shall the bodies of the saints, so filled with God's glory, be upheld without food. 3. The bodies of the saints, when they arise, shall be swift and nimble. Our bodies on earth are dull and heavy in their motion; then they shall be swift, and made fit to ascend, as the body of Elias in the air. Now the body is a clog; in heaven it shall be a wing. We shall be as the angels, Matt. xxii. 30. And how nimble are they? The angel Gabriel in a short time came from heaven to the earth, Dan. ix. 21. As the helm turns the ship instantly whither the steersman will; so the body in an instant will move which way the soul will. 4. The bodies of the saints, at the resur rection, shall be very firm and strong, 1 Cor. "This mortal must put on immortality;" xv. 43, "It is raised in power." Through our bodies shall run parallel with eternity, frequent labour and sickness, the strongest Luke xx. 36, "Neither can they die any body begins to languish: but at the resurrec- more." Heaven is a healthful climate,tion we shall be of a strong constitution; there is no bill of mortality there. If a then there will be no weariness in the body, physician could give you a receipt to keep nor faintness in the spirits. This may com- you from dying, what sums of money would fort you who now conflict with many bodily you give? At the resurrection Christ shall weaknesses. This weak body shall be raised give the saints such a receipt, Rev. xxi. 4, in power; the body, which is now a weak "There shall be no more death." reed, shall be like a rock. 5. The bodies of the saints at the resurrection shall be immortal, 1 Cor. xv. 53, II. The second privilege believers shall have at the resurrection, is, They shall be openly acquitted at the day of judgment. OF THE DAY OF JUDGMENT. QUEST. XXXVIII. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrec tion? appears from the petty sessions kept in a man's own conscience; when a man doth virtuously, conscience doth excuse him, when ANS. Their bodies shall be raised up to evil, conscience doth arraign and condemn glory, and shall be openly acquitted at the him. Now, what is this private session kept day of judgment, and crowned with the full in the court of conscience, but a certain foreand perfect enjoyment of God to all eternity. | runner of that general day of judgment when II. They shall be openly acquitted at the all the world shall be summoned to God's day of judgment. This is to be laid down tribunal ? for a position, that there shall be a day of judgment, Rom. xiv. 10, "For we shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ." This is the grand assizes,-the greatest appearance that ever was. Now Adam shall see all his posterity at once. We must all appear; the greatness of men's persons doth not exempt them from Christ's tribunal; kings and captains are brought in trembling before the Lamb's throne, Rev. vi. 15. We must all appear, and appear in our own persons, not by a proxy. QUEST. 2. Why must there be a day of judgment? ANS. That there may be a day of retribution, when God may render to every one according to his work. Things seem to be carried very unequally in the world; the wicked do so prosper as if they were rewarded for doing evil; and the godly do so suffer as if they were punished for being good. Therefore for the vindicating of God's justice, there must be a day, wherein there shall be a righteous distribution of punishments and re QUEST. 1. How doth it appear that there wards to men, according to their actions. shall be a day of judgment? 66 QUEST. 3. Who shall be judge? ANS. The Lord Jesus Christ, John v. 22, "The Father hath committed all judgment to the Son." It is an article of our creed, that, Christ "shall come to judge the quick and the dead." It is a great honour put upon Christ; he who was himself judged, shall now be judge; he who once hung upon the cross, shall sit ANS. Two ways. 1. By the suffrage of scripture, Eccl. xii. 9, 12, 14, ❝ For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing." Ps. xcvi. 13, "For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth." The reduplication denotes the certainty, Dan. vii. 9, 10, "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose gar-upon the bench. Christ is fit to be judge, as he 66 ment was white as snow." "The judgment was set, and the books were opened.”—2. It partakes both of the manhood and Godhead. 1. Of the manhood: being clothed with |
